Don't mess with these women
Ditch the “damsel in distress” stereotype—these actresses are tough as nails. Either through the fictional characters they play or their off-screen dramas, these women redefine what it means to be tough in Hollywood.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron has taken on some gritty roles to showcase her acting skills above her stunning beauty. From a killer in Monster to Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, Theron has played down-and-dirty but truly memorable characters. To top off her toughness, Theron performed most of her own stunts in Atomic Blonde.
Focus Features, Atomic Blonde (2017)
Gal Gadot
To prepare for the role of Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot threw herself into several months of intense physical training and did much of her stunt work. Before acting, this former Miss Israel served as a combat trainer for two years in her country’s military.
Warner Bros., Wonder Woman (2017)
Gina Carano
This mixed martial arts athlete (MMA) had an impressive seven-win and one-loss record and was named MMA Female Fighter of the Year in 2008. Gina Carano took her fighting cred to the big screen, landing physical roles in Deadpool, Fast & Furious 6, and later in The Mandalorian, a Star Wars spinoff TV series.
Universal, Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Nichelle Nichols
Shattering stereotypes, Nichelle Nichols broke ground as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek television series. Her role as a confident, intelligent communications officer was far from the stereotypical roles in 1960s television.
Paramount, Star Trek (1966–1969)
Zoe Bell
As a stuntwoman in New Zealand, Zoe Bell got the attention of film director Quentin Tarantino, who hired her as a stunt double for Uma Thurman. Impressed, Tarantino gave Bell starring roles, where she performed her own stunts, resulting in some serious injuries, including a broken vertebra.
White Rock Lake Productions, Angel of Death (2009)
Pam Grier
Pam Grier may be cinema's first female action hero, rising to fame in the 1970s playing tough, take-no-prisoners characters in films like Coffy, Foxy, and later in the 90s as Jackie Brown. But what makes her truly tough? She survived stage 4 cervical cancer in 1988 even though doctors gave her 18 months to live.
American International Pictures, Friday Foster (1975)
Lucy Liu
Speaking of Kill Bill, who can forget the climactic sword fight between Uman Thurman and nemesis Lucy Lui? O-Ren Ishii is just one of the tough characters Lui has played throughout her career, starting with her role as a ferocious and cold lawyer in Ally McBeal. She also earned action-star status when she became one of Charlie’s Angels.
Miramax, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington became the first Black woman to lead a network television drama in decades with her role as Olivia Pope in Scandal—a political power broker who tackles impossible situations. Besides playing edgy roles, Washington is also a producer, director, and social justice advocate.
Michelle Rodriguez
The role as a young boxer in Girlfight had some real-life parallels for Michelle Rodriguez, who dropped out of school after getting expelled five times. Despite successful gigs starring in The Fast and the Furious and Resident Evil franchises, she’s found herself behind bars for various offenses, solidifying her status as one of the toughest actresses around.
Constantin Film, Resident Evil (2002)
Carrie-Ann Moss
Carrie-Ann Moss was already 32 years old when she donned a shiny black, PVC-coated, stretch-fitting jumpsuit and started beating the living daylights out of everyone in the first installment of The Matrix. The physically demanding role demanded months of intense training, but Trinity became an iconic action character and made Moss an international star.
Warner Bros., The Matrix (1999)
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah's tough image stems back to her rap career when she tackled social issues, challenged misogyny, and empowered women. Her acting roles involve strong and capable women, like a bank heist leader in Set It Off and a tough-as-nails detective in The Equalizer.
Angelina Jolie
As tomb raider Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie became one of the biggest action stars of the 2000s. Her roles as an assassin in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Wanted only solidified her tough status. Since then she has taken on more dramatic roles, directing, and philanthropic work which has taken her to dangerous countries to raise awareness of global atrocities.
Paramount, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Linda Hamilton
When you’re fighting an android Arnold Schwarzenegger, you’ve got to be tough. Linda Hamilton played Sarah Connor, the protagonist in The Terminator film series. Her character developed from a damsel-in-distress into a no-holds-barred resistance fighter toting a Remington 870—an iconic image of 80s sci-fi action flicks.
Carolco Pictures, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Halle Berry
Playing Catwoman earned her a Razzie for the worst performance, but Halle Berry had to endure some intense physical training to play an agile professional thief in a rubber suit. She performed many of her own stunts without special effects or stunt doubles. This cat has claws!
Cynthia Rothrock
She may have played fictional action heroes in the 1980s, but Cynthia Rothrock is a real-life force to be reckoned with. With black belts in seven different martial arts, Rothrock has played action heroes in more than 50 movies. There’s even a Mortal Kombat video game character based on her martial arts prowess.
Bo Ho Film Company Ltd., Millionaires Express (1986)
Jennifer Lawrence
Along with an Oscar, J Law’s film career includes action roles like Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games and Mystique in X-Men. She also took her tough image into the role of a Russian secret agent in Red Sparrow.
Twentieth Century, X-Men: First Class (2011)
Sigourney Weaver
When she was just 13, Sigourney Weaver changed her name because she thought “Suzie”, was too cute. And there’s nothing cute about her iconic role as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise. Defending the world from Xenomorphs, Weaver’s character was tough beyond compare.
Twentieth Century, Alien Resurrection (1997)
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson overcame a horrific personal tragedy in 2008 when her mother, brother, and nephew were gunned down in Chicago. She honored their memory by winning an Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, and Tony awards, and she now hosts her own TV talk show.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Milla Jovovich
This model-turned-action star is famous for playing Alice in the Resident Evil series which spanned more than a decade. She filmed most of her own action scenes, thanks to a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo, not to mention experience with karate, kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Constantin Film, Resident Evil (2002)
Michelle Yeoh
A Malaysian actress, Michell Yeoh became famous for her roles in Hong Kong action films where she performed her own stunts. Her American debut was the James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies, and she showed off her formidable talents a few years later in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
A24, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Scarlett Johansson
One of Scarlett Johansson’s most famous roles is in The Avengers series—the Black Widow is a spy and martial artist outfitted with high-tech weaponry. Outside the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Johansson has taken on other tough roles including Ghost in the Shell and Lucy.
Kate Beckinsale
There’s nothing tougher than a vampire dealer battling werewolves. That was Kate Beckinsale’s role as Selene in the Underworld film series in the early 2000s. It was a foray into many more action movies like the Total Recall remake, where she performed many of her own stunts.
Jada Pinkett Smith
The child of parents who struggled with addiction, Jada Pinkett Smith has built a successful career taking on strong, complex female roles including Niobe in The Matrix films. Talking openly and honestly about her hair loss due to alopecia and other taboo subjects earned her talk show, Red Table Talk, a Daytime Emmy.
Warner Bros., The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Emma Watson
As Hermione Granger in the hugely popular Harry Potter film series, Emma Watson cast spells to help her and her friends escape the evil clutches of Snape. Now 34, Watson is an outspoken feminist, traveling to Zambia and Bangladesh to champion the education rights of young women.
Warner Bros., Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Mariska Hargitay
This Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning star played the heroic Olivia Benson, who hunted down the most heinous criminals in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In real life, Hargitay miraculously survived a tragic car accident when she was just three years old. The crash took the life of her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, and left Hargitay with a zig-zag-shaped scar on her head.
NBC, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–)
Chloë Grace Moretz
Moretz rose to stardom as a teenager. Despite her young age, she was cast for various dark roles in R-rated movies like the Hit Girl in the film Kick-Ass. In one role, she had to dangle from the top of a 60-foot house with just a harness and a couple of wires holding her up.
Mila Kunis
This Ukraine-born actress may be known for comedic roles in That 70s Show and Family Guy, but she’s also had to tough it out in edgier roles in movies like Max Payne and The Book of Eli. The roles demanded extensive firearms training, so she now opens fire without blinking.
Oprah Winfrey
You don’t become one of the richest women in the world by being a pushover. Her talk show and media empire aside, Winfrey has won accolades for acting roles in A Wrinkle in Time and The Color Purple, where she was nominated for an Academy Award.
Warner Bros., The Color Purple (1985)
Zoe Saldana
You wouldn’t recognize her in Avatar, but Zoe Saldana provided the motion capture p[performance for Neytiri, a job that demanded almost a year of training. Saldana also took on roles in the Star Trek trilogy and The Avengers, where she performed many of her own action scenes without a stunt double.
Twentieth Century, Avatar (2009)
Summer Glau
An unlikely action star, this former ballet dancer became an on-screen combatant in films like Serenity, where punches replaced pirouettes. She also played an indestructible android in The Terminator: The Sarah Conor Chronicles.
Caity Lotz
Caity Lotz is an actress, dancer, and singer who is also accomplished in multiple martial arts including Taekwondo and Muay Thai. The experience meant she was perfect for the knuckle-bearing roles in Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.
Wanda Sykes
With no-nonsense wit and cut-to-the-chase attitude, Wanda Sykes is known for her cutting comedy. In her personal life, Sykes came out as gay in 2008 and has been a vocal advocate of universal marriage rights ever since—and she’s not afraid to express her political views on social media.
Gwendoline Christie
An intimidating 6’3”, Gwendoline Christie stands well above her tough-girl peers. As Brienne of Tarth in the wildly popular series, Game of Thrones, Christie convincingly played the role of one of the most menacing fighters in the Seven Kingdoms.
Letitia Wright
As Shuri, the Princess of Wakanda in Black Panther, Letitia Wright’s might had more to do with her brain than her brawn. She was the nation’s lead engineer and developed innovative and deadly gauntlets that fired concentrated energy blasts.
Jodie Foster
It’s not easy being a child star in the 1970s, but Jodie Foster toughed it out and has enjoyed a successful 50-year acting career playing misfit, complicated female characters, including a call girl, detective, and a scientist.
Mo’Nique
After her Oscar-winning performance in Precious, Mo'Nique clashed with producers over unpaid promotion work. Her unwavering stance may have led to her being blackballed in Hollywood, but she never backed down from her principles.
Whoopi Goldberg
Fearless and unflappable, Whoopi Goldberg has never been afraid to speak her mind, even if it gets her into trouble. Her tough talking style and gritty persona has earned the actress and talkshow co-host an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony award.
Lucy Lawless
Who can deny the strength and toughness of Xena: Warrior Princess? Lucy Lawless played the sword-wielding role on television from 1995 to 2001, inspiring a generation of young women. The New Zealand actress also played a vicious admiral in Battlestar Galactica.
Universal Television, Xena: Warrior Princess (TV Series 1995–2001)
Uma Thurman
As Beatrix Kiddo in the Kill Bill series, Uma Thurman was a vengeful, samurai-sword-wielding bad girl in a yellow jumpsuit. Her portrayal of “The Bride” is a classic, but it nearly ended her life. During filming a scene in the second film, a car she was driving slammed into a tree.
